"It's about learning to play at the highest level, making sure for 80 minutes that we switch on and nail critical moments.

"There are fine things as a team we hammer in at training but we must carry them into the game and keep developing."

Wales captain Ryan Jones felt his side was unlucky. "It was a fantastic Test, but we paid the price for a couple of errors in key moments," he said.

"We didn't help ourselves; we were the makers of our own misfortune – but at 80 minutes we were still in with a chance, and on another day it might have gone our way.

"I'm thoroughly enjoying my rugby again and it's good to be part of a special team."

Stephen Jones, who scored all Wales' points, said: "New Zealand are very clinical – they put us under a lot of pressure.

"From our perspective, a few errors allowed them to get on to the front foot. But we have to give them a lot of credit. I would love to have played in a game with a bit more width – but New Zealand are very well-organised defensively.

"We are bitterly disappointed. It's the first game we've played in a long time, but we are going in the right direction. We keep improving, raising the bar."

Carter praised the hosts. "I was pretty nervous and absolutely shattered," he said. "Credit to the Welsh, too, but we're thankful of coming away with the win. It's been a very challenging year, but we want to put our name back on the world stage so this win is satisfying."